A powerful 3D to Pixel Art Renderer built with Godot 4.4+ that transforms 3D models and animations into retro-style pixel art with customizable effects and frame by frame animation export capabilities.

👨‍💻 Developer

Created by bukkbeek - an independent game developer passionate about pixel art and retro aesthetics.

📥 Downloads

🎮 Get Pixel Renderer

• 🆓 GitHub: Free and open source
• 💰 Itch.io: Compiled version (support the developer!)

✨ Features

🎨 Pixel Art Rendering

• Real-time 3D to pixel art conversion with customizable pixelation (8-800 pixels)
• Color quantization with adjustable steps (2-32 colors) and 8-color palette support
• Advanced shader effects: edge detection, sharpening, dithering, and outlines
• Post-processing controls: HSV adjustments, contrast, gamma, and brightness

🎬 Animation & Export

• Frame-by-frame animation export to PNG sequences with progress tracking
• Flexible export settings: custom frame ranges, variable FPS (1-120), resolution scaling
• GLB/GLTF model support with animation playback controls and auto-refresh detection
• Camera system: orthographic projection with positioning, rotation, and lighting controls

🎛️ User Experience

• Intuitive interface with organized control panels and real-time preview
• Preset configurations and console logging for detailed feedback
• Export management with custom paths, filename prefixes, and batch capabilities

🚀 Quick Start

Requirements

• Godot Engine 4.4+
• OpenGL 3.3+ compatible graphics card
• 4GB RAM minimum (8GB recommended)

Installation

1. Clone and open:

   git clone https://github.com/bukkbeek/GodotPixelRenderer.git
   cd GodotPixelRenderer

2. Launch in Godot:
• Import project.godot
• Press F5 to run
• Select PixelRenderer/PixelRenderer.tscn if prompted

📖 Usage

Basic Workflow

1. Load Model: Click "Load Model" and select GLB/GLTF file
2. Configure Effects: Adjust pixelation, colors, and shader parameters
3. Set Camera: Position and frame your model using camera controls
4. Export: Choose output directory, set frame range/FPS, and export PNG sequence

Key Controls

• Animation: Play/pause/stop buttons with loop toggle and frame range selection
• Camera: XYZ positioning, rotation presets, and zoom controls
• Effects: Pixelation slider, color steps, palette mode, and post-processing
• Export: Directory selection, resolution scaling, and filename customization

🛠️ Technical Details

Core Architecture

• PixelRenderer.gd: Main controller and export system
• models_handler.gd: 3D model positioning and camera controls
• models_spawner.gd: Model loading and animation management
• pixel_material.gd: Shader parameter management
• PixelArt.gdshader: Custom pixel art rendering with Sobel edge detection and Bayer dithering

Export System

Captures animation frames using SubViewport rendering with real-time pixel art effects, nearest-neighbor scaling, and PNG output with transparency support.

🤝 Contributing & Support

Get Involved

• ⭐ Star this repository
• 🐛 Report issues on GitHub Issues
• 💡 Submit pull requests and feature suggestions

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

🙏 Acknowledgments

Thanks to the Godot Engine community, Lospec pixel art community, and KayKit for the default skeleton asset.

Thanks to:

• Viktor Edén (github.com/HolyAcorn) for making the normal material and normal map export functionality




🤖 AI Development Assistance

This project was developed with the assistance of Claude Sonnet through Cursor AI as a coding assistant, helping to enhance development efficiency and code quality.